


Julia's Birthday

by Anatemnein



Category: Designing Women
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 15:48:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20762894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anatemnein/pseuds/Anatemnein
Summary: Anthony is panic stricken when he realizes he has forgotten his girlfriend's birthday.





	1. Chapter 1

~~~~

"Mary Jo!"

Mary Jo's head popped up at her desk as Anthony walked swiftly over to where she was, the back door closing behind him. "Is Julia around?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, Anthony, she and Charlene are out at the Webster's finishing up their living room, why?"

"I need some help" Anthony said seriously, sliding a counter stool over to her desk and sitting down, wringing his hands nervously.

"Is everything okay, Anthony?"

"Well, y'know how I've been so caught up with law school, and work, and everything?"

"Yeah..."

"And y'know how Julia's birthday is this weekend?"

"Yeah..."

"Well...well I sorta, y'know..."

"Sorta what, Anthony?"

"Sorta forgot."

Mary Jo's eyes bulged out of her head. "You forgot Julia's birthday??"

"Shhhh!!" Anthony hissed, waving his hands in her face and jumping to his feet in frustration. "You wanna keep it down?"

"We're the only ones here, Anthony!" Mary Jo snapped, watching him throw his hands up and stalk behind the counter as she jumped out of her chair and dragged the bar stool he'd been sitting on back to the counter and jumped atop it, leaning over the counter intensely. "Are you seriously telling me that you forgot your girlfriend's birthday, Anthony?" she asked sternly.

"Unfortunately" he said, eyeing her hopelessly. He set his mug down and shook his head. "Man, Julia's gonna kill me, what the hell am I gonna do?"

"How the hell did you forget?" Mary Jo asked incredulously.

Anthony shot her a glare. "Well between school and work, and Tia having her baby, I've had a lot on my mind and Julia's birthday sort of...slipped my mind."

"Anthony, her birthday is in three days."

"Thank you, I wasn't aware" he snapped, trudging over to the sofa. "Damn, Julia's gonna think I forgot about her."

Mary Jo followed him, sitting down slowly. "Well, Anthony, you did forget."

He rolled his eyes and shot her another glare. "You know what I mean. Man, not only have I put next to no thought into what to get her, I don't even have any ideas right now, Mary Jo."

Mary Jo looked at him sympathetically and patted his arm. "Relax, Anthony, it's happened to the best of us. We know you've been busy, and, let's face it, we all forget at some point or another."

"So you think she might understand?" he asked hopefully.

"Anthony, I said I understand, I didn't say Julia would."

"Aw man" Anthony groaned, planting his head in his hands.

"Listen, listen, we'll figure something out, I mean, after all, we do have three days. Today's Tuesday, Julia's birthday is on Saturday--we've got it in us to come up with something before then."

"You mean you'll help me?" Anthony asked, looking at her sheepishly.

"Sure, Anthony, anything for friend" Mary Jo said, nudging him playfully, as the door swung open. Julia and Charlene stepped inside, smiling at them excitedly. "Guess what y'all, the living room is finished, and we've got a big paycheck coming our way!" Charlene said breathlessly as she plopped giddily into her chair. Julia blew Anthony a kiss as she sauntered over to her desk, gently laying her purse down and shaking the pollen off of her jacket.

Mary Jo nudged Anthony, muttering, "Play it cool" underneath her breath before walking back to her desk. He got up nervously, walking over to Julia's desk, where she was standing, shuffling papers around. "So, sounds like y'all two had a big day, huh?" he asked, trying not to sound nervous, in spite of the terror that was wrangling around in his head.

"We sure did, darlin'" Julia said happily, leaning forward and planting a gentle kiss on Anthony's lips as she fiddled playfully with his jacket.

"And you've got a big day coming up this weekend too!" Anthony said nervously, trying his best to look excited. Mary Jo hid her face behind her palm as she rolled her eyes, hoping Anthony wouldn't give himself away before she had a chance to save him.

"Oh, that's right Julia, you've got a birthday this weekend!" Charlene said excitedly, glancing up briefly from her work to smile at Julia.

"Oh yeah, y'know, another year older" she said wryly, looking back at Anthony. "And darlin', don't you worry, I've cleared my calendar for this weekend, so we can spend all our time together."

"Anything in particular you want to do?" Anthony asked, hoping she might give him something to work with.

"Just whatever you have planned is fine, hun" she said, stroking his cheek and giving him another kiss before walking over to the kitchen to grab herself a cup of coffee. Anthony turned slowly, following her with his eyes and shooting Mary Jo a frantic look.

"Oh...great!" he said, smiling widely at her, waiting until she turned away to grab a coffee cup before he turned to Mary Jo with panic-stricken eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

The door to the mall flew open, and Anthony and Mary Jo rushed inside. Or, rather, Anthony rushed while Mary Jo struggled to keep pace, her high heels clacking loudly against the tile floor as they rushed blindly through the thinning evening crowd.

"Anthony, Anthony!" Mary Jo called, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket in an attempt to slow him down.

"What?" he asked in a panicked voice, turning around quickly.

"Slow down!" she hissed, nearly tumbling forward as they came to a sudden halt.

"Oh, sorry, Mary Jo" he answered distractedly, tugging at his suit. He gazed hopelessly around the mall, his eyes bouncing from store to store as he struggled to figure out which seemed the best place to start.

"Anthony!" Mary Jo's voice cut through his reverie. He turned and she looked at him carefully. "Listen, just calm down, it's not the end of the world. I'm sure we can find something Julia would like here. Now, think carefully, has she mentioned wanting anything?"

"No" he answered hopelessly.

"Have you asked her if she wants anything?"

"...No."

"Have you done anything that could be considered useful to us at all at this point and time?"

"...No" Anthony whimpered, slumping his shoulders. "Oh, it's hopeless, Mary Jo, I don't even have any ideas right now."

"Yes, yes you do," she said, grabbing his arm and steering him toward Macy's, "once we get in there and you take a breather, you'll figure something out...I hope" muttering the last bit under her breath.

They walked quickly into Macy's, and Anthony took another long look around before slowly walking over to the makeup counter. Before Mary Jo could even open her mouth, a sales woman dressed in a white smock approached them. "Can I help you find--"

"Back off!" Mary Jo snapped without even thinking, quickly getting a grip on herself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, no, no, my friend and I are just browsing" she said apologetically, flashing the woman what she hoped was a genuine smile.

The sales woman merely nodded in response before retreating quickly, shooting a glance over her shoulder before ducking out of sight.

Mary Jo stepped up beside Anthony, who was picking through the lipstick display, trying to find a color he thought Julia might like.

"Now, Anthony, that's a great idea! Lipstick! Julia wears some everyday, see I knew--now what color?" she asked, her words coming out in an excited jumble.

Anthony starred thoughtfully at the red tube in his hand before laying it back in its holder and shaking his head. "No color, Mary Jo, Julia's got more than enough lipstick at home."

"She does? How do you know that?"

Anthony shot Mary Jo a disbelieving stare. "Uh, Mary Jo, I've been in Julia's bedroom."

"Of course, right, right" Mary Jo said, pausing briefly. She nudged Anthony playfully and winked as she said, "Bet she's a hellcat--"

"Mary Jo!" Anthony sputtered, tugging at his tie.

Mary Jo waved her hands in front of her. "Sorry, Anthony, I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten in to me, I've been hanging out with Charlene too much" she said, shaking her head, embarrassed by how much of her brain her best friend had managed to seemingly suck out of her.

Anthony sighed in frustration, moving over to the perfume counter. There, the sales woman--presumably forewarned by the makeup counter girl--fled the scene, leaving Anthony to stare blankly into the cases for a few minutes before he walked over to the ladies clothing section to stare blankly at it for a few minutes, and then into purses, where he repeated the motion.

He finally sat, defeated, down at the edge of a fountain in the area just outside the Macy's entrance. "It's hopeless, Mary Jo, I have no clue what Julia wants, no clue what I want to get her, and no way of changing that now."

"But Anthony, if we just--"

Anthony held up his hand to stop her, checking his watch to see how late it was. "It's not 8 o'clock yet, I can still make it back to Julia's and confess my stupidity and accept my punishment like a man before the day is done" he said sadly, trudging back toward their cars.

"Anthony..." Mary Jo said gently, feeling very sorry for him.

"No, it's okay, Mary Jo, I messed up. I messed up again in this relationship, and I'm gonna have to face the music like a man and just admit I made a mistake and hope for the best. What else can I do?"

"Maybe we can--"

"No, Mary Jo," Anthony said, shaking his head firmly as he stopped beside his car, "thank you for everything you tried to do for me today, but I'm gonna handle this myself like an adult, no excuses, no pretending, just the honest to goodness truth."

"Good luck, Anthony" Mary Jo said quietly, as he slid into his car.

She watched him drive out of sight, knowing that the fuss, to anyone else, might seem stupid. She also knew, however, that Julia valued birthdays, not so much for the fuss and muss--which she hated in any area of life, anyway--but for the chance it gave her, if only one day a year, to feel really special.

She knew this was one situation which she could not butt into and fix. Anthony had to solve things on his own time, in his own way.


	3. Chapter 3

Julia hummed quietly to herself in the kitchen, stirring a cup of hot chocolate gently as she leaned thoughtfully against the counter, mulling over the events of the day and trying to mentally unwind. She smiled to herself as her eyes caught the glimmer of the dainty gold bracelet on her wrist. In spite of the fact that her friends thought her a glamour queen and clothes horse--which, maybe she was--she was not much of a jewelry fiend, and only owned a few special pieces she'd picked up over the years. A few pieces from Hayden, some from boyfriends before and after him, some family heirlooms, and others lucky finds she'd come across at estate sales or in antique stores. The bracelet, however, had been a surprise gift from Anthony for her birthday last year. She hadn't expected anything so nice-they'd only been dating for a few months by that point, not even 6, and had only a few weeks earlier said 'I love you' when he shyly slid the small, rectangular box across the table after dinner.

_"Happy birthday, baby" he said softly, the candle light catching the honey color of his eyes as he smiled sheepishly at her._

_She popped up her brows in surprise, setting her champagne flute down on the table. "Anthony..." she said, looking at him in amazement, "what is this?"_

_He smiled, and looked away briefly, before shrugging his shoulders and saying, "Just a little something special for my favorite girl."_

_She grabbed the box hesitantly, hoping he hadn't spent too much on her. He had just been promoted not too long before they started dating, and Julia knew that while he was in a more stable place financially (she'd been generous with his raise), she also knew that he'd never had much money, and hoped that he hadn't gotten carried away, thinking he needed to impress her. "Darlin'..." she said gently, wanting to protest._

_Anthony shook his head and reached for her hand. "I love you baby, happy birthday" he said, nodding at her to open the box as he kissed her hand and let it go._

_She paused again, then gently tore the paper off of the gift and opened the lid slowly. "Anthony..." she said, feeling her heart catch in her chest._

_"You like it?"_

_"Darlin', you shouldn't--I mean, I can't take th--"_

_"Yes, yes you can. Look, I've never been in a situation where I could spend nicely on someone, and, well, I never had a woman I like as much as you. So don't worry about the cost, or about me being reckless, or nothin' like that, and just wear it and enjoy it."_

_Julia bit her lip, tears springing into her eyes as she looked at him carefully, toying with the bracelet as she took it carefully out of the box. He reached across the table and took it from her, gently sitting it around her wrist as he closed the clasp._

_"Anthony..."_

_"Yes, baby?"_

_Julia paused thoughtfully for a moment, looking at him as he smiled at her. She blew him a kiss and said, "Love you, darlin'."_

_He smiled like a kid at Christmas. "Love you too, baby."_

Julia took another sip of her cocoa and smiled at the memory, when she heard the door open. She looked up to see a weary, tense-looking Anthony step into Sugarbaker's.

"Darlin', what's wrong?" Julia asked in alarm, quickly setting down her mug and walking toward him.

"Julia..." he said, watching her carefully as she walked over to where he stood, "...I screwed up completely."

"What are you talking about darlin'?" she asked, putting her hands on his chest, and noticing the rain-soaked bouquet of pink roses in his hand. "What happened, come on, I'm sure it's nothing too--"

"Yes, yes, it is, Julia" he said, trudging over to the sofa and holding the bouquet firmly in front of him.

Julia hung his suit jacket on the coat rack to dry as she eyed him carefully. She wasn't sure whether to find the sight of her rain-soaked boyfriend, with the dainty roses clutched in his hands, pitiful or somewhat comical. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked into his puppy dog eyes and sat down in front of him. "Now, Anthony, what's going on? I promise you, it can't be that bad."

"Yes it can" he said, still grasping the roses tightly in his hands.

She arched an eyebrow at him, looking down at the flowers. "Are those for me?" she asked quietly.

"Yes" he said meekly, not handing them over.

"May I have them?" she ventured, completely confused by what was going on, as she reached over the wipe a few rain drops off of his cheeks.

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"Cause I wanna be holding these when you kill me so I have something to decorate my coffin with."

"What?" Julia asked, growing somewhat alarmed. A series of horrifying images flashed through her mind, scenarios that Anthony might have found himself in that could explain this behavior. She shook her head and looked at him steadily. "Anthony, whatever it is, I can promise you that continuing to play this little game with me is not going to make it any better."

"Okay" he said, returning her steady gaze.

She waited for a moment before she said, "Anthony?"

"Yeah?"

"Spit it out."

He took a deep breath and said carefully, "I forgot your birthday."

For a moment, Julia didn't say anything, staring confusedly at him before she repeated, "You forgot my birthday?"

He sighed, looking down at the flowers in his hands and then back at her before he said anything. "Yes, yes, baby, I forgot. You can call me all the names you want to, but I forgot. I know there's no excuse, and I'll do anything to make it up to you, but..." he paused for a moment, looking down at the flowers before he said, "...but the only thing that I have for you are these flowers, and my love, and I hope that's not too disappointing for you, and that I didn't completely ruin your birthday. But...but that's all I've got, flowers and love."

Julia sat in silence for a few moments, before a tear slid down her cheek.

Anthony felt his heart sink, and started stammering an apology again before Julia laid a hand on his arm and stopped him.

"That's the best birthday present I've ever received, Anthony" she said, a few more tears trailing down her cheeks.

He looked at her in disbelief before he said, "Really?"

She nodded, sliding closer to him and taking the flowers out of his hands, smelling them briefly before stroking his cheek. "That's the only thing I want, hun."

"The flowers?" he asked in confusion.

"Your love, darlin'" she giggled, swatting him gently before rubbing a hand on his leg. "Any man foolish enough to get himself into such a tizzy over something so small, who'd buy a beautiful bunch of flowers in the pouring rain for me late at night on a work night, is the best gift that I could ever have, because it's the only thing I never had before."

"Really?" Anthony asked softly, grabbing her hand.

"Really" she said, smiling at him.

He smiled shyly, feeling relieved as he bent forward to kiss her. She deepened the kiss, running her hands over his chest, before pulling away and asking, "How about we get you cleaned off?"

Anthony nodded in agreement, looking at the moist circle his clothes were leaving on her couch. "Yeah, yeah, that might be a good idea. I'll just rinse off my face, and get out of here before it's too late--"

"Anthony?" Julia said, stopping him mid-sentence.

"Yeah?"

She smirked suggestively at him as she slid closer and said quietly, "I meant, a nice, long soak in my bathtub, while I get that change of clothes out of your car and dry these off so you can stay the night."

"Really?"

She leaned forward and grabbed him intensely, planting another kiss on his mouth before arching her brow at him as she whispered, "There are more ways than one to show me you love me."

He smirked in response and kissed her again, before he looked at her and said, "Better make it a quick soak", hearing her giggle in his ear as he pulled her onto his lap, feeling her arch her body against him.

Maybe forgetting her birthday hadn't been so bad after all.


End file.
